Shore power connection for offshore vessels – Measured noise

reduction in port and dock

Bernt Mikal Larsen1,*

1
Department of Acoustics, Multiconsult Norway, Kristiansand, Norway.
*Bernt.Mikal.Larsen@multiconsult.no.

Abstract
The presentation will summarize measured noise reduction for drilling, pipelay and offshore support
vessels due to shore power connection. The noise level at office or storage building in distance of 100-
250 m from the vessels without significant influence from other background noise has been registered
continuously through days and nights. Noise levels at nights without and with shore power connection
have been compared. A drilling vessel had Lw 110 dB and a noise reduction due to shore power
connection of 18 dB. A pipelay vessel had Lw 105 dB without shore power, and a noise reduction of
15 dB due to the effect of shore power. Both drilling and pipelay vessel seem to have Lw of 90-92 dB
with shore power connection. Two different offshore support vessels have also been measured with
sound power level Lw of 107 dB and 100 dB. The noise reduction with shore power connection is
13 dB for the first and 6-7 dB for the latter. With shore power connection, both offshore suppert vessels
have Lw of 94 dB. The two offshore support vessels show that shore power can give different noise
reduction for ships with different design, and that the sound power level with shore power connection
seems to be the same within a category of vessels, due to the fact that ship noise level from ventilation
and fans seems to be the same. All of the vessels measured have sound power level between 90 and
95 dB with shore power connection.

1 Introduction

Noise from ships in port has been measured at Kongsgård-Vige from drilling and pipelay vessel, and noise
from ships in dock has been measured from offshore support vessels at Andøya Industripark in Kristiansand
in Norway. This document will compare the measured noise level with and without shore power connection.
The method used will be explained, and also the considerations for the estimated noise reduction.

2 Hypothesis and method for estimating noise reduction due to shore power

The basic hypothesis is that shore power connection of a vessel will give a constant noise reduction compared
to the situation without shore power. At daytime and evening there will normally be many sources and
activities which contributes to a measured noise level. The best method for determining the effect of shore
power should therefore be to compare noise levels at nights, with and without shore power. Nights without
heavy rain and without strong wind have to be used, for background noise being as low as possible. The method

Copyright: EAA, NAA & DAS, CC-BY-NC-ND 177

for determining effect of shore power is a continuous registering of noise level in port/dock area, for both
nights with and without shore power connection.

The measurement method was to use one microphone position with instrument Norsonic N140 at port building
with low influence from other background noise. If more microphone positions were used, the issue of
background noise in different positions had to be carefully analysed. The microphone on port building is placed
in height not shielded by the vessel. In noise calculations vessels are normally modelled as point source with
omni-directional sound pressure level (same directivity in all directions), therefore it is considered as good
enough to have one microphone position (due to omni-directional sound radiation) where it is known that the
level from other background noise is significant low. The main purpose is to compare the measured noise
reduction at port building, which is explained by shore power when other background noise is low.

The sound power level without shore power is calculated by modelling the vessel as a point source, calibrated
against the measured level at night at the port buildings. Compared with literature about sound power from
ships and vessels, the estimated Lw from measurements shows very good correspondence with what should be
expected. The sound power level with shore power is estimated by the level difference measured at the port
building, with and without shore power. Calculations with Cadna using Lw with shore power show very good
match with measured noise level at the port building. The Cadna model with different ships/vessels gives noise
levels which corresponds very well with short time measurements in different directions within the port area
and surrounding neighbourhood.

The two situations are shown in the following figures.

Figure 1a Vessel and imission point for noise registration at Kongsgård-Vige

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Figure 1b Vessel and imission point for noise registration at Andøya Industripark

3 Drilling and pipelay vessel – noise reduction due to shore power

Measurement of noise from drilling and pipelay vessel was done with continuously registering by a harbor
building at Kongsgård-Vige. The noise levels at nights with and without shore power were compared.
The analysis of measurement data gives the following:
1. Drilling Vessel
• Lw 110 dB without shore power
• Lw 92 dB with shore power

2. Pipelay vessel
• Lw 105 dB without shore power
• Lw 90 dB with shore power

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 Picture 1 Drilling and pipelay vessel, Kongsgård in Kristiansand

Frequency spectrum shows significant reduction in all frequencies. Normally the annoyance from neighbours
is related to low frequencies, where shore power connection shows very good effect. The Lw with shore power
connection is dominated by noise from ventilation, fans and other noise sources on the ship and seems to be
similar for the two vessels.

The pipelay vessel Lorelay was in port, with and without shore power. In figure 2 the blue curve is noise level
without shore power, and the other curves show noise level with shore power connection. By comparing noise
level at nights for a period in autumn 2021 and winter 2022 (only with contribution from Lorelay) we can see
the noise reduction due to shore power connection. The measurement in January 2022 shows more than 15 dB
reduction in a wide frequency range. Some of the measurements (with shore power) will also contain other
background noise.

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Figure 2 Frequency spectrum for the pipelay vessel Lorelay, with and
without shore power, measured at port building

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The noise levels from the two periods of Lorelay with shore power are summarized in the tables below.

Table 1 Pipelay vessel Lorelay – Noise level without and with shore power September 2021

Lorelay – September 2021

Octaveband 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1000 Hz 2000 Hz 4000 Hz

Without 72 63 66 68 67 62 51
shore
power

Shore 57 57 56 58 53 48 39
power

Reduction 15 6 10 10 14 14 22

Table 2 Pipelay vessel Lorelay – Noise level without and with shore power January 2022

Lorelay – January 2022

Octaveband 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1000 Hz 2000 Hz 4000 Hz

Without 79 68 72 71 69 65 56
shore
power

Shore 57 55 56 57 52 46 36
power

Reduction 22 13 16 14 17 19 20

Table 2 shows different and more noisy activity than table 1. The noise reduction due to shore power is good
in all frequencies. It is to be noted that the noise level with shore power connection is quite similar in all octave
bands for the two periods. This shows that in both cases the noise level is reduced to a similar level which is
dominated by ventilation, fans or other noise sources on the vessel. The reason for the different level without
shore power in September 2021 and January 2022 is not exactly known, but the sound power level with shore
power is approximately the same for both measurements. Some of the nights in September shore power
connection gave noise level according to the orange curve, the reason for this is assumed to be that noise
sources due to testing or other activity gave higher level with shore power than expected (the grey curve in
September). The noise data summarized for shore power in September last year is based on the grey curve.

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4 Offshore support vessels – noise reduction due to shore power

Measurement of noise from offshore support vessels was done with continuously registering by an office
building at Andøya Industripark. The noise levels at nights with and without shore power were compared.
The analysis of measurement data gives the following:
Offshore Support Vessel
• Lw 100-107 dB without shore power
• Lw 94 dB with shore power

Picture 2 Offshore support vessel in dock

The difference in sound power level for the two different offshore support vessels is mainly explained by
different design of these two vessels. Registration of noise level at the facade of office building was done for
two different vessels in December 2021 and January 2022:
1. MMA Pinnacle
• Noise level 61-62 dBA at nights 13th to 15th of December
• Noise level 49-50 dBA at nights 20th to 21st of December, and most quiet periods noise level
of 42-43 dBA

2. Normand Jarstein
• Noise level 54-55 dBA night between 11th and 12th of January
• Noise level 48-49 dBA night between 12th and 13th of January – with shore power

MMA Offshore Asia has confirmed that some of the nights MMA Pinnacle was in dock were without the
harbor generators running. This explains the reduced noise level the night between 20th and 21st of December.
It seems that both vessels give noise level of 49-50 dBA when harbor generators are off or the vessel is
connected to shore power. The noise level of 48-50 dBA is assumed to be dominated by fans and ventilation
on the vessels. The low noise level of 42-43 dBA from MMA Pinnacle in some quiet periods the night between
20th and 21st of December may be explained by that either fans or ventilation were turned off such periods.

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The frequency spectrum for Normand Jarstein (with shore power connection in dock) is shown in the table
below.

Table 3 Normand Jarstein – Noise level without and with shore power January 2022 measured at
office building

Normand Jarstein – January 2022

Octaveband 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1000 Hz 2000 Hz 4000 Hz

Without 59 74 53 52 51 46 40
shore
power

Shore 52 51 50 53 51 47 41
power

Reduction 7 23 3

From the table we can see that the noise level by the office building is dominated by background noise from
250 Hz due to either weather/wind or ventilation/fans on the vessel. Since the level in the upper frequencies
are quite similar with and without shore power, it is highly probable that the noise level from 250 Hz and above
is due to a constant source like ventilation or fans. The measurement for Normand Jarstein shows very good
effect of shore power in the low frequencies, which normally gives annoyance for the neighbourhood.

Because there is no sure knowledge of what installations were turned off for MMA Pinnacle, noise level from
this vessel regarding frequency spectrum is not summarized. In the night with lowest level, it is registered that
the noise level in the lowest frequencies (50-200 Hz) is 50-55 dBA as for Normand Jarstein.

Picture 3 Continuous measurement at facade of office building

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Picture 3 shows the measurement point for continuous registration at the office building. The frequency
spectrum for the situation with and without shore power are based on the levels registered at this building.

5 Conclusions

Shore power connection for drilling and pipelay vessels brings the sound power level Lw down from
105-110 dB to 90-92 dB. For offshore support vessels, the sound power level is 94 dB with shore power
connection in dock. In all cases, shore power connection gives significant reduction of low frequency noise.
For drilling, pipelay and offshore support vessels, the level measured at port or office building is 50-60 dB in
the frequency range from 63 to 1000 Hz with shore power connection. The effect of shore power seems to be
much better than predicted in earlier international project [2] and shows similar results as for offshore rigs [1].

Acknowledgements

May I offer my deepest acknowledgements to Kristiansand Port and Andøya Industripark for the possibility
to do such measurements, that are very helpful for good estimates of noise reduction due to shore power
connection. I want to give special thanks to Odd-Leif Berg, Trond Sikveland and Halvard Aglen in
Kristiansand Port and to Svein Erik Halvorsen and Geir Aamo at Andøya Industripark.

References

[1] Bernt Mikal Larsen. “Emitted noise in harbors – Effect of shore power” – BNAM AND INTERNOISE
2018
[2] Rob Witte. “Regulation of noise from moored ships in ports” – EURONOISE 2015

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